This chocolate Valentine’s Day heart cake was designed by my 9-year old son (who is now an adult!). He even instructed me on how I should put it together. His plan was to bake a sheet of cake and cut the layers with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Then stack them together with raspberry cream and pour a glossy chocolate ganache over the top. I know I’m biased, but I think he is brilliant. You can watch me make the cake in my Instagram video.
You can find many more cake recipes and all the tricks and techniques I’ve learned over my decades in professional kitchens in my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes!
Happy Valentine’s to my two sons, Henri and Charlie, and my husband Graham. My 3 muses.
Here is Henri’s vision, I must say this Valentine’s Day chocolate cake is as delicious as it is pretty.
Chocolate Valentine’s Day Heart Cake Filled with Raspberry Cream
Allow your valentine’s day heart cake to set at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you need to refrigerate them, they will lose their shine. Once you return them to room temperature the shine will come back.
Leave simple or add some red pearls.
Or sprinkle with Raspberry Dust!
Ingredients
Devil's Food Cake
- 1 ½ cups sugar (320g)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (215g)
- ½ cup cocoa powder (50g)
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup buttermilk ¾ cup plus 1 tsp lemon if you don't have buttermilk
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup coffee
- ⅛ cup rum use more coffee if you don't want the booze
Buttercream or 2 cups heavy whipping cream plus ⅓ cup raspberry preserves
Ganache
- 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and line a 11×16″ Baking Sheet with parchment.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Sift the cocoa and baking soda if they are lumpy.
- Whisk in the liquid ingredients, until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until just set or a tester comes out with moist crumb.
- Cut the devil’s food cake with a Heart Cookie Cutter. Depending on the size of your cutter this will get you about 12 2-layer cakes per sheet.
To Make The Cream
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks, add the raspberry preserves and continue whipping until stiff peaks. Fill a Pastry Bag, fitted with a round pastry tip and pipe the cream on half of the heart shaped cakes.
- Top the cream with another layer of cake. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the ganache.
Ganache
- Heat cream until just to simmer. Remove from heat. Dump in all of the chopped chocolate, swirl the pot to make sure the chocolate is completely covered by the cream. Let sit for about 3 minutes and then gently whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly to thicken enough to cling to the cakes.
- To pour the ganache on the cakes you will need to set them on a cooling rack that is over a sheet pan lined with parchment. You want to do this to catch all of the dripping chocolate.
- Slowly pour the ganache over the heart cake, starting in the middle and working outward. Be sure to check all the sides as you go. As you can see there will be a lot pooled up on the parchment, but you will scrape that up and be able to remelt and use again. See my instagram video to make sure it is the right consistency.
- If your ganache starts to get too thick, return the pot to the stove and heat on very low heat, just for a moment.
- Allow your valentine’s day heart cake to set at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you need to refrigerate them, they will lose their shine. Once you return them to room temperature the shine will come back.
How wonderful that Henri is so in tune with food and chocolate! He’ll have no problem get a nice Valentine when the time comes, if it did not happen already with this creation! A family of food critics and chef …yeah!
Zoe- your son is brilliant 🙂 He actually sounds like my son- who gives similar advice about recipes as well as photo set-up ideas. They’re so sweet, aren’t they?
These look delicious. I did choc. dipped brownies and cookies (both heart shaped) for Val. Day this year. Never thought to do cakes. Next year will be cakes!
Hi Aran,
I actually think he will be the food critic and Charlie will be the chef! I live with men that have very strong opinions about food. But, they’ll try just about anything and I love it!!! 😉
Zoë
so you have another pastry chef in the making! gorgeous job!
Wow, beautiful cakes,your son is a genius:-)
yum! it’s like a little sacher torte!
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! I want Henri to teach ME how to bake!
Yes, Esi you are exactly right! I used to have something on the menu like it when I worked with Andrew Zimmern and he called them “Kick A– Ho Hos!” I had forgotten about that! LOL.
Zoë
I love this idea! So cute and kind of like a grown up ding dong, or ho ho…or whatever that cake was 🙂
Zoe, you have a real foodie on your hands! Henri has the right idea! I love how petite and cute these little bits of chocolate heaven are!
Happy Vday to your lovely family and you.
These little heart cakes are simply precious! I think I would be happy just dragging a spoon through the ganache that dripped onto the parchment.
😉
This looks fantastic!
It’s very cool that Henri already has ideas about how to create dishes.
Hi Glaucia,
He mentioned it at dinner. It took me about 45 minutes to make the cake (baking included and you can do ahead!), 15 to make the ganache and another 5 to whip the cream. Depending on how quickly your ganache sets up it will take about an hour to assemble and let them set up. I give yourself a couple of hours, but there is plenty of down time to do other things during that time!
Have fun! Zoë
these look amazing, and I think Henri rocks! How long do these take to make. Looks de-lish, but definitely a labor of love!
Your son is awesome…I hope my little boy grows up to have thoughts like that!
WOW – I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Your son has a real talent – hope he enjoyed these beautiful cakes!
You certainly do have a smart son on your hands, these little cakes look wonderful!
My 9yro is my creative muse as well! He makes my heart smile. I’m going to make these with soy, if you have any tips for using soymilk before doing this please let me know! Happy Valentines Day to you and yours.
Henri, you’re brilliant!this is a perfect Valentine’s cake, you can be proud of you 😉
I have a 9-year old girl but she never had a Valentine’s vision.. although she dreams alot of chocolate cakes!!
Those are amazing, I showed my 10 year old daughter the pictures and she wants to make them over the weekend to share with friends. Please tell Henri I said thank you for the wonderful idea!
Jane
This is one of most beautiful things I have seen for Valentine. Your son is so gifted !! I will try to make them for my family. Thanks for sharing it !!
What a talented son you have! Mouthwatering little chocolate and raspberry cakes!
Your son is in fact brilliant. Those look amazing. Do you deliver? Or better yet, just come on over and make those for me.
hehehehe! I should have mentioned that Henri still thinks that girls have cooties!
🙂 Zoë
Dear Henri,
Would you be my Valentine?